The present invention generally relates to railroad grade crossing safety systems and more particularly relates to on-board railroad grade crossing safety systems.
In the past, numerous steps have been taken to help reduce accidents between trains and automobiles at railroad grade crossings. One step commonly used is to provide railroad grade crossing barriers or barricades which extend across the roadway as a train approaches and crosses the grade crossing. This would be considered a protected grade crossing. These barricades are usually associated with flashing red lights to catch the attention of approaching motorists. While these barricades are very helpful at reducing automobile to train collisions, they are expensive, and it is often viewed as cost prohibitive to place these barricades at every railroad grade crossing. One method that has been used in the past to help reduce automobile/train collisions is to require the locomotive engineer to sound a loud horn as the train approaches every grade crossing. While this approach of sounding a horn at a grade crossing has been helpful, the primary benefit is for trains which are approaching a grade crossing, and it does very little to help with collisions between automobiles and a rear section of the train. Every year numerous automobiles drive into the side of a train occupying a grade crossing, especially during times of low visibility, such as snow, fog, or a late-night rainstorm, etc.
Consequently, there exists a need for improved railroad grade crossing systems which help reduce collisions occurring between automobiles and rear sections of a train as it passes an unprotected railroad grade crossing.